The brown bears at Helsinki's Korkeasaari Zoo went into hibernation earlier than usual this year.
The zoo said its female bears fell sound asleep over the weekend. Normally, the bears check out for the winter a couple of weeks later.
Korkeasaari currently has two bears, Sofia, who was born in 2001 and her daughter Yulia, born in 2006.
The bears have been very tired. They've been sleeping in their nests and only got up to eat," winter zoo-keeper Susan Nuurtila explained in a press release.
"On Thursday they weren't interested in eating either, so we closed the doors [of the hibernation nest] and it got dark and quiet inside. Over the weekend we went to check the situation, and yes, they were asleep," Nuurtila continued.
The mother and daughter built their own dens using sticks and branches, lichen and straw.
The bears began preparing their winter hibernation nests at the beginning of October. During the month their diets consisted of porridge, fruits and vegetables. They consumed a large amount of chokeberries and grain products ahead of their long naps.
Before dozing off, Sofia and Yulia each weighed around 225 kg.
In Northern Finland, bears are known to hibernate for up to half a year. Korkeasaari's bears usually wake up from their hibernation in February.
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